CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF 24-HOUR GROWTH-HORMONE SPONTANEOUS SECRETION IN SHORT CHILDREN

We studied the 24-hour integrated concentrations of growth hormone (24-ICGH) in 22 prepubertal children with idiopathic short stature (ISS), 7 girls with Turner's syndrome (TS) and 8 patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). TS subjects exhibited 24-ICGH levels significantly lower than those of ISS and higher than those of GHD. Among children with ISS, 7 were treated with GH for one year. No correlation was found between baseline 24-ICGH and increment of height velocity during therapy. In conclusion, determination of spontaneous GH secretion is able to discriminate patients with GHD and to evidentiate abnormalities of the GH secretion pattern in TS and in subjects with neurosecretory dysfunction, although it does not appear to be useful in predicting response to treatment.